THE IAVS-BULLETIN1997Prof. Dr. Reinhold Tüxen 1899 - 1980 Founding member of the International Society for Plant Sociology (Montpellier,1937), which after WWII revived into the IAVS, during a meeting in Amsterdam,1949. From 1949 to his death Dr. Tüxen acted as Secretary, later onalso as Treasurer and President of the Association. |
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Welcome to the first electronic Bulletin of the IAVS!
We aim to offer reguraly updated information on all Association activities, as well as personal and other news. We are eager to hear from you about suggestions and comments on this Bulletin. We also invite you to send us interesting links to relevant sites, as well as personal sites of members!
Most of the information in this number consists of a copy of the Circular as sent to you in Nov. / Dec. 1996, by the General Secretary Dr. H. Dierschke. Subscribers to the Journal of Vegetation Science received this circular enclosed with issue 7:5.
November 1996,
Dear IAVS Member,
Today you receive a rather extensive newsletter with information about activities and discussions of our Association, mainly from our successfull Symposium in Lancaster (about 170 participants from 31 countries). We have also had a very nice and interesting Excursion to South Africa with more than 50 participants.
In Lancaster there were many discussions, especially about a new version of our Statutes and about new IAVS publications (see the Minutes of Advisory Council and General Assembly). In order to get as much opinions of our members as possible, you find an Enquiry to some important points on the back side. It is very important for us to get answers from all of you!
1. A new Membership List will be prepared for 1997. Please, give us all necessary dates.
2. Please, give us your vote for the final decision about the new Statutes.
3. There are different possibilities of obtaining IAVS membership. Membership linked with the subscription of at least one journal would encourage publications and administration within our Assocation.
4. Please, give us your opinion on the different possibilities of publications.
5. One year ago we offered you the newly published Symposium Volume of Shanghai (1992, 399 pp. with 53 contributions). However, until now the number of ordered books is very low. Due to financial support by our Association the price is rather low: 20 USD / 30 DEM (+ postage). Please, send us your order.
The 40th IAVS Symposium, 1997 in Ceske Budejovice, Czeck Republic
The next IAVS International Symposium will be held in Ceske Budejowice, Czech Republic, from the 18 to 23 August 1997, with some pre- and post-symposium Excursions.
Today I already invite you to participate in our next General Assembly during this symposium, 21 August, 1997). Main topics of this meeting will be the results of the Enquiry, reports of the Executive Committee and Advisory Council and discussions about further activities.
During the Symposium 1997 the Advisory Council has to establish a list of candidates for the election of a new Council (1998-2001). Proposals can be sent to me until the end of June 1997. The meeting of the AC will be held on Tuesday, 19 August, 1997.
With best wishes for 1997
Yours sincerely,
Prof. Dr. H. Dierschke
During the meeting of the Advisory Council and General Assembly of IAVS in Lancaster it was decided that the agreement with Opulus Press to publish the Journal of Vegetation Science be continued for another five years, i.e. 1998-2002. Moreover three new major developments regarding publications, all put forward by me as your Publication Officer, were discussed. Here follow proposals for acceptance by means of the present ballot.
1. New journal. There should be a new journal next to the Journal of Vegetation Science. There is a need for more pages to publish on vegetation science, given the growing undercapacity of JVS. The number of active vegetation ecologists has increased considerably since the start of JVS. Instead of increasing JVS still further it is better to start a separate journal. A clear majority in Lancaster were in favour of a new journal which should be devoted to applied aspects of our science, particularly conservation and management aspects, to be called "Applied Vegetation Science", AVS. The relation between JVS and AVS is very similar to that between the Journal of Ecology and the Journal of Applied Ecology published by the British Ecological Society and the journals Ecology and Ecological Applications published by the Ecological Society of America. The new journal will start with two issues of ca. 100 pp. each and have the same Editors as JVS during the starting period, but a partly different Editorial Board. Opulus Press is willing and ready to publish this new journal and would prefer to start right away. A vast majority in the General Assembly was of the opinion that AVS, as JVS, should be an official organ of, and owned by, IAVS and Opulus Press is willing to accept this arrangement. But since there were not enough members present a formal approval of the members through a ballot is needed.
Opulus has mentioned the following preliminary prices, which seem attractive:
a. In combination with JVS the JVS
price for 1997 will be the same as for 1996: 520 SEK, including membership of 20 DEM, Ş
120 DEM Ş 80 USD the price for AVS could be ca.180 SEK Ş 40 DEM Ş 27 USD);
b. As a separate subscription, but linked to IAVS membership:
300 SEK Ş ca. 70 DEM Ş 45 USD.
Note: Opulus Press had just decided to arrange that IAVS/JVS dues should be paid to the Dutch branch of the form, Opulus Press Leiden. This is to avoid charging members with the high VAT, 25%, which Opulus has to pay to the Swedish tax authority - and in fact pays over 1996.; 1 NLG Ş 0.9 DEM.
2. Symposium Proceedings. We have also discussed the possibility of starting a series of IAVS Symposium Proceedings, as we had during the 1980s and 1970s. There was no time for a discussion during the General Assembly, but the following aspects were either welcomed by many members of the Advisory Council or are new ideas put forward by the Publication Officer, which will certainly attract positive attention of many of you:
a. Published with one volume a year as
Proceedings of the International Association for Vegetation Science, Proc. Int. Ass. Veg.
Sci.
b. Special Editorial Board, including some of the local organizers and with the
Publication Officer of IAVS as chief editor.
c. All four official IAVS languages will be accepted.
d. Papers will be refereed.
e. Both lectures and poster contributions may be submitted.
f. Symposium contributions submitted to an international journal should be
represented by an extensive summary in the Proceedings, so that the Proceedings present a
complete picture of the Symposium.
Opulus Press is willing to publish such a series - starting with the 1997 symposium - and will also agree with IAVS being the owner of this journal. But the Publishers will need some guarantee for a minimum number of subscribers. See also next point. The contributions to the Proceedings should be short (4 - 6 pp of print on average), the size of the book should be max. 300 pp, the production simple and the price not more than 260 SEK ca. 60 DEM 40 USD (including membership), this provided that at least 300 IAVS members subscribe. The price would be lower if the subscription to the Proceedings would be combined with the other journal(s). Of course the Proceedings would also be available separately, both for inviduals - for instance delegates to IAVS symposia - and libraries, but at a much higher price, ca. 500 SEK.
3. Link between membership and at least one journal. The Publication Officer and the Administrator of IAVS proposed to link the membership of IAVS to subscribing to JVS - or, with the above proposals in mind, to at least one of the three journals. From the journals point-of-view this would considerably reinforce the position of the journals, while from the administration point of view, Opulus Press could take over the entire administration and book-keeping and streamline payments. This would mean that the costs for membership would be at least 260 SEK or ca. 60 DEM i.s.o. the 20 DEM now. This maybe acceptable for many members not taking JVS at the moment. The enquiry will ask for your opinion!
Clearly, the adoption of proposals 1 and 2 will be encouraged by proposal 3, and vice versa.
4. Electronic publishing. In addition to these proposals another development may be mentioned. Opulus Press is preparing electronic publishing, i.e. putting available journals on Internet. The firm would like to start a trial with the Proceedings. This would mean that the book is printed in a limited number of copies for those subscribers who wish a paper copy - which could lower the total production costs in case sufficiently many subscribers would opt for it - and that other subscribers would be supplied with an electronic version which can be read on the screen and printed (once) on a local laser printer.
Please study the enquiry carefully and fill in - while observing that the prices are preliminary and the exchange rates fluctuate.
Thank you for your attention.
Eddy van der Maarel
Publication Officer
(a) The association shall be known as
International Association for Vegetation
Science (IAVS),
Internationale Vereinigung für Vegetationskunde (IVV)
Association Internationale pour l'Etude de la Végétation (AIEV)
Asociación Internacional de Ciencias de la Vegetación (AICV).
(b) The official languages of the IAVS shall be English, French, German, and Spanish for Symposia, excursions, publications and other activities. All official documents shall be in English.
(c) The Seat of the IAVS Shall be in Germany so that German law will be applicable all the time.
The aims of IAVS are:
(a) to promote research and education
in vegetation science;
(b) to promote the publication of research results in vegetation science;
(c) to facilitate scientific and personal contacts among vegetation scientists of
all countries;
(d) to promote applications of vegetation science;
(e) to increase awareness and to disseminate knowledge about vegetation.
These aims will be achieved by
(a) organisation of scientific
meetings;
(b) Organisation of a business meeting called the General Assembly at least once
every two years;
(c) establishment of Working Groups and Committees dealing with special themes of
vegetation science;
(d) publication of the Journal of Vegetation Science (JVS) and other journals
(e) promotion of the publication and distribution of other scientific journals and
books, such as Phytocoenologia and others.
(a) Membership of the IAVS is open to all who are interested in vegetation science and are willing to support the aims of the IAVS. The IAVS shall consist of individuals who shall be either Full Members, Associate Members or Honorary Members. Full Members pay an annual membership fee, Associate Members are exempt from this fee. Members can participate at all meetings of the IAVS and have voting right at the General Assembly.
(b) Membership is obtained through application to the Secretary General of the IAVS Or to one of the Sections of the IAVS.
(c) Honorary membership is obtained through election by the Advisory Council upon nomination of at least five of its members. Honorary members do not pay a membership fee.
(d) Members of the IAVS may be organized in Regional Sections.
(e) A Regional Section shall consist of at least 15 members who are geographically related. Sections shall have a President. Sections, their statutes, and the nomination of the Presidents must be approved by the Advisory Council.
(f) Members with a common interest in a special field of vegetation science may establish a Working Group which shall be separate from the sectional organisation. Each Working Group shall have one or two Co-ordinators. Each Working Group and its Co-ordinator(s) must be approved by the Advisory Council.
(g) Members with expertise in a special field of vegetation science can form a Committee. The members of a Committee are appointed by the Advisory Council. They shall choose one of their members as Chairperson.
(h) The IAVS shall be affiliated with relevant International Associations and Unions, as may be decided by the Advisory Council.
(i) National societies for phytosociology, plant ecology and related fields may be affiliated with the IAVS as decided by the Advisory Council. Members of affiliated societies may participate at scientific meetings of the IAVS. Such organisations can also function as Regional Sections or Working Groups, provided that their members are also members of the IAVS.
(a) The governance of the IAVS shall be determined by the General Assembly and the Advisory Council; it shall be administrated by the Executive Committee.
(b) The Advisory Council shall consist of at least 40 members who are elected by postal ballot sent to all members of the IAVS- Period of office is four years; members of the Advisory Council may be re-elected. At least sixty candidates for membership in the Advisory Council shall be proposed by the general membership. The Advisory Council must invite the following members as advisory members, without voting right:
- Presidents of IAVS symposia during the
coming three years,
- Co-ordinators of Working Groups and Chairpersons of Committees,
- Presidents of Regional Sections,
- The Editors of JVS,
- Honorary Members.
(c) The Executive Committee shall consist of seven members to be elected by and from the members of the Advisory Council, for a period of four years. Re-election is possible.
(a) The Advisory Council shall meet at least once every two years. Secretary General should notify the members of the Advisory Council on the date, place, and agenda six weeks prior to each meeting of the Advisory Council. A special meeting of the Advisory Council may be requested by the Executive Committee or by a minimum of ten members of the Advisory Council.
(b) The Advisory Council elects the Executive Committee.
(c) The Advisory Council makes decisions about all future activities of the IAVS and about all matters of organisation and finances.
(d) Decisions of the Advisory Council shall be made on the basis of a simple majority of votes. Members of the Advisory Council who cannot participate at a meeting can delegate their vote to another member. Each member can cast at most 3 proxy votes. If fewer than 20 members of the Advisory Council are represented, voting shall be by postal ballot after all members have been informed about the proposal in question and the arguments for and against.
(e) The Advisory Council appoints the Editors of JVS and advises the Editors on the composition of the Editorial Boards. The Advisory Council makes decisions about the organisation and finances of the JVS and other journals to which IAVS hold copyright.
(a) The General Assembly consists of all members of the IAVS.
(b) The General Assembly shall be at least once every two years Secretary General should notify all members on the date and place six weeks prior to each meeting.
(c) The General Assembly discusses all activities of the IAVS and approves decisions on matters regarding IAVS made by the Advisory Council.
(d) Members of the IAVS who cannot participate in a General Assembly can delegate their vote to another member, in written form (delegation letters). The delegation letter(s) must be presented to the President of the General Assembly prior to voting. Each member can cast at most five votes. If fewer than 50 members are present or represented, voting shall be by postal ballot.
(a) The Executive Committee shall appoint, from its own membership a President, a Secretary General, a treasurer and a Publication Officer. The remaining members of the Executive Committee Shall act as Vice Presidents, as determined in Article 8g.
(b) The Executive Committee shall be in charge of the organisation of the required meetings of the IAVS and of furthering of the aims of the IAVS.
(c) The President is responsible for convening meetings of the governing bodies of the Association. The President shall preside over the General Assembly and over the meetings of the Advisory Council and Executive Committee. If the president is absent, the presidency shall be assumed by one of the other members of the Executive Committee, according to a priority Scheme established by the Executive Committee. If no members of the Executive Committee are present, the other members of the Advisory Council who are present shall elect a president ad hoc. The President shall Sign, along with the Secretary General, all official binding documents on behalf of the IAVS.
(d) The Secretary General shall make preparations for the General Assembly and for the members of the Advisory Council and the Executive Committee. The Secretary General shall keep minutes of all meetings. The Secretary General shall be responsible for all membership records and for correspondence between the IAVS and other institutions and persons, and shall sign, along with the President, all official binding documents of the IAVS.
(e) The Treasurer shall be responsible for the financial matters of the IAVS, including the collection of dues and recording changes of address. The functions of Treasurer and Secretary General may be discharged by one person.
(f) the Publication Officer is in charge of the official publications of the IAVS and represents the IAVS in contacts with the Publishers.
(g) Each Vice President shall assist the Secretary General in the preparing of the meetings of the IAVS, notably the symposia and excursions.
(a) The annual dues for Membership shall be determined by the Advisory Council. Associate Membership can be obtained by those who are interested in vegetation science, but live in a country with currency exchange problems or have financial problems of another kind. Associate Members should be exempt from paying dues.
(b) Full Membership shall commence after the first annual payment. Full membership shall end after one fiscal year has elapsed since the last annual payment, or through death. Payment and indication of name and address must reach the Treasurer in the year for which membership is desired.
(c) The fiscal year of the IAVS runs from January 1st to December 31st.
(a) No part of the net earnings of the IAVS shall or may under any circumstances inure to the benefit of any private individual. The IAVS may not engage in any transaction which results in substantial diversion of its income to any officer, member of the Advisory Council, or substantial contributor.
(b) The IAVS may accept financial contribution from individuals (who can be personal members at the same time) or corporate bodies, provided that these contributions be used for the aims and activities of the IAVS as established in Sections 2 and 3 of these Statutes, and that no conditions be placed on the IAVS other than with respect to the use of the particular funds contributed.
(a) Journal of Vegetation Science (JVS) is the official organ of the IAVS. The IAVS can publish other publications to which it holds copyright. The IAVS will not take any financial liability for any of these publications.
(b) JVS shall be edited by two to four Editors who are assisted by Associate Editors and an Editorial Board. At least one of the Editors shall be Member of the Executive Committee.
(c) Details of the publication of JVS and other journals to which it holds copyright are established in a special agreement between the IAVS and the Publisher. This agreement needs to be approved by the Advisory Council and will be signed by the President, the Secretary General and the Publication Officer.
(a) Proposals regarding changes in the Statutes shall be submitted to the Secretary General. This motion should be supported by at least 20 members. The Secretary General will communicate these proposals to all members, while indicating at which General Assembly they will be discussed.
(b) Decisions regarding changes in the Statutes can be taken by the General Assembly on the basis of a majority of two thirds of the votes. If fewer than 50 members are present or represented, voting must be done by postal ballot.
(a) The IAVS can be dissolved only by a motion supported by a majority of two thirds of all members.
(b) In order for such a motion (§ 13a ) to be put to the vote of all members of the IAVS, it must be normally proposed by at least 20 members.
All members were invited to the Advisory Council meeting, and were provided with an agenda, in the mailing of 8 June 1996. In attendance were: J. P. Bakker, E.O. Box, H. Dierschke, G. Fekete, K. Fujiwara, G. Grabherr, M.O. Hill, E. van der Maarel, A. Miyawaki, L. Mucina, D. Mueller-Dombois, J. S. Rodwell, A. Schwabe-Kratochwil, and O. Wilmanns. Guests present were: G. Bredenkamp, A. Brülisauer, M. van der Maarel-Versluys, and A. Solomeshch.
The meeting occurred on September 9th, 6.30-11.00 p.m., and was continued on September 11th, 9:00-10:30 p.m.
Opening
1. The President (E.O. Box) opened the meeting.
Report of the Executive Committee
2. The President and the Secretary-General (H. Dierschke), as well as several other members, reported on IAVS activities during the past year:
- 38th IAVS Symposium in Houston (USA), and International Phytogeographical Excursion through the southeastern USA (E.O. Box)
- 5th International Workshop of the European
Vegetation Survey, in Rome (L. Mucina)
- Meeting of the Working Group on Long-Term Vegetation Dynamics, in Bad Lauchstädt (J.P.
Bakker)
- Preparation of the International Phytogeographical Excursion in South Africa (G.
Bredenkamp, H. Dierschke).
The following IAVS Symposium volumes have been published recently:
- Shanghai (1992): Applied Vegetation Ecology
(1994) The printing of this volume was financially supported by the IAVS, and the book can
therefore be offered at a very attractive price. Unfortunately, only 65 copies have been
ordered so far.
- Bailleul (1994): Large-Scale Vegetation Surveys (1995).
This volume appears in the series "Colloques Phytosociologiques". So far no volume has appeared from the 1993 IAVS symposium in Tenerife. Selected papers from the 1995 Symposium in Houston will appear in JVS.
The number of IAVS members has climbed to 1430 (as of the end of July 1996)- Since the last meeting, 6 members have died: Dr. Alois Bettschart (CH), Dr. Henk Doing (NL), Prof. Dr. Franz Fukarek (D), Dr. Igor Grigor'ev (Rs), Friedrich Mang (D), and Takehiko Takahashi (J).
Symposia:
The 40th IAVS Symposium will be in Ceske Budejovice, 18-23 Augusi 1997, with a pre-symposium excursion in ihe Czech Republic and a post-symposium excursion in Bulgaria. The first announcement and invitation has already been mailed out.
The 41st IAVS Symposium is being planned for Uppsala, at the end of July 1998, probably in conjunction with an excursion through the Baltic couniries.
The 42nd IAVS Symposium, in 1999 (probably in the springtime), has received two offers, one from Spain (Bilbao) and one from Mexico. A decision will be made in the coming year, after more details have been received.
The 43rd IAVS Symposium, in 2000, is being planned for Nagano, in conjunction with an excursion through the full length of Japan.
Other Meetings:
A symposium sponsored by the ETH on vegetation changes ("laurophyllization") in southern Switzerland is scheduled for Locarno, 16-23 March 1997. (Details from F. Klötzli)
- The next meeting of the Working Group on Long-Term Vegetation Dynamics is being planned for Tartu (time to be decided).
A final draft of the new IAVS statutes has sent by L. Mucina to all Advisory Council members on 20 June 1996. after lengthy preparatory work by a small committee. Final comments and suggestions were worked in, and there was a lengthy discussion on acceptance of the version presented. It was unanimously decided to present this version, with a few small changes. for discussion by the General Assembly on 11 September 1996. The vote on acceptance of the Statutes would finally take place by ballot, involving all IAVS members.
There was a unanimous expression of support for a five-year extension of the contract with OPULUS Press for printing the Journal. Many other questions regarding JVS were also resolved (as had been posed to all Advisory Council members by E. van der Maarel in a letter of 9 June 1996). There were varying reactions to the suggestion to start a new, additional journal (Vegetation Science Monographs), in particular the concern that such a new journal would compete too much with and perhaps damage Phytocoenologia.
This topic would be taken up again at the meeting on September 11th, after listening to the discussion and suggestions by the General Assembly. The idea of publishing a new "Journal of Applied Vegetation Science" has also been mentioned, but various reservations were expressed. It was thus decided to poll the full membership concerning their interest in these ideas.
There will be no proceedings volume as such from the Lancaster symposium. Some of the papers can be published in JVS.
H. Dierschke presented the quite positive treasury report for 1995. There was a net income of 5714 DM. The amount of the annual IAVS dues will be discussed anew during the coming year.'
H. Dierschke had already announced that he would like to end his duty as General Secretary at the end of the current period of office (i.e. until 1998, making 16 years of duty in this position). As apossible succesor he suggested Dr. Joop Schaminée (NL), an idea which met general acceptance. H. Dierschke stated that he was willing to continue as Treasurer.
(E.O. Box, President) (H. Dierschke, General Secretary)
As usual the General Assembly meeting took place during the annual symposium. There was no special invitation. The meeting began at 5:45 pm and ended at 7:00 pm. There were 52 members present, as well as several guests.
1. The President (E.O. Box) announced several decisions by the Advisory Council concerning symposia and excursions up through the year 2000. He also reported on IAVS activities during the past year (See Minutes of the Advisory Council meeting).
2. The new Statutes proposed by the Advisory Council were presented to the membership. L. Mucina explained several points needing consideration and presented the the Advisory Council's reasoning in reponse to numerous questions. In general, though, there were no important new perspectives. After a few small modifications, the Statutes were accepted, with one abstention and no negative votes. The statutes will now be sent by mail to all IAVS members for the final, valid vote on their acceptance.
3. E. van der Maarel, as editor, described the generally positive situation concerning the Journal of Vegetation Science. One problem concerns the large surplus of manuscript submissions. He thus made the suggestion to found a new journal, in conjunction with JVS. After somewaht controversial discussion, the idea of a "Journal for Applied Vegetation Science" was suggested. This will be discussed again by the the Advisory Council before any decision is made.
(E.O. Box, President) (H. Dierschke, General Secretary)